Varietal: Lambrusco

The Lambrusco grape varietal is widely enjoyed by wine makers and drinkers alike around the world, and it is one varietal which has an impressive and very long history. Archaeological evidence suggests it was being grown and cultivated long before the Romans, and has been an important grape for the identity and culture of the people who live in its indigenous Emilia region ever since. The grapes themselves are most commonly used for the famous sparkling wine which bears its name, and Lambrusco is renowned for holding slightly sweet, strawberry flavors which make it a favorite for many due to its light body, elegance and easy drinkability. It is also used to make dry wines, which have a slightly bitter after taste, and is a grape with many variants â€“ as many as sixty, making it an interesting and unique varietal with many sought after attributes.

Region: Emilia-Romagna

Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy has been considered one of Europe's most important and characterful wine regions for an astonishingly long time. Indeed, for over two and half thousand years, vines of exceedingly high quality have been cultivated in Emilia-Romagna, with many of the region's wines being adored by the Romans, who helped the region grow prosperous as a result of its viticultural excellence. Today, Emilia-Romagna has over fifty five thousand hectares under vine, and no less than twenty-two DOC's producing stunning wines, containing all of the unique flavors and attributes associated with the region. By far the most famous wines of Emilia-Romagna are the sparkling Lambrusco wines, however, the region is widely recognized as being home to many of Italy's finest still red and white wines, too.

Country: Italy

For several decades in the mid to late twentieth century, Italy's reputation for quality wines took a fairly serious blow. This was brought about partly due to lack of regulation in certain regions, and too much regulation in others. This led to several wineries in the beautiful and highly fertile region of Tuscany making the bold move to work outside of the law, which they saw as responsible for the drop in quality in Tuscan wines. They believed that they had the expertise and the generations of experience necessary with which to make truly excellent, world class wines, and set about doing just that. These 'Super Tuscans', as they came to be known, quickly inspired the rest of Italy to improve their produce, and now, Italian wine producers in the twenty-first century are widely recognised to be amongst the best in the world. Regulation and law began to change, and wine drinkers across the globe woke up to the outstanding wines coming out of Italy, which are continuing to improve and impress to this day.